Dear Viewers,
I have a few more pictures to show you from our trip to Nellis Air Force Base (search). If you saw the show Monday night, or clicked on the video icon from Tuesday's blog, you will see video from our chase of the F/A 22. I also suppose you know that we don't have a bureau at Nellis, so how did we put together that video ("package?")
Here is how: Click here for Greta’s photo essay
Photo 1
Picture No. 1 is of the microwave truck that we rented and took to the base. Inside the rental truck is a "mini" (and I mean "mini") bureau. The Air Force allowed us to bring it on the base and park it outside the hangar housing the F/A 22.
Photo 2
Bob Lee, my cameraman, shown in picture No. 2, shot the video and then edited it inside the truck. Bob flew in a companion F-16 to the one I flew in so he could video ("shoot") my F-16 and the F/A 22 in the air. I am stunned he was able to do it so well since there were many occasions in the flight in which we (including Bob and his pilot) were pulling 5 G's. Once that happens, you can't move the camera to follow your object. You have to hope your camera was trained in the right location.
Photo 3
Picture No. 3 is of Bob in the cramped space inside the microwave truck. This is the area in which he worked to "cut" the tape to produce the package we later showed on air (and is video-streamed on this Web site.)
Photo 4
In addition to "cutting" the package — extracting about 3 minutes from an hour ride — it had to be written and then I had to provide narration for it ("tracking.") Inside the microwave truck we can do this. Picture No. 4 is of the microphone inside the truck that I used to "track" the package. Bob then had to put the audio to the video. Inside picture No. 4 you can also see the small digital recorder that Bob strapped inside my F-16 to video me during the ride. (Incidentally, I did quite well during the ride but neglected to put the safety visor/sun visor down over my face during the ride... da.)
Photo 5
Picture No. 5 is another inside shot of the microwave truck. Don't ask me to explain it. All I can tell you is that this is what "makes it all happen."
Photo 6
Picture No. 6 is Bob showing my F-16 pilot ("Grinch") the package a few hours before our show.
Photo 7
To give you an idea of where the microwave truck is parked vis-a-vis the hangar, picture No. 7 is taken from the steps of the truck. It is obviously a picture looking into the hangar. I assume you see the giant U.S. flag hanging in the background.
Photo 8
In order to put the package together, we — including the pilots — were videotaped all day long. Every time we looked up, this is what we saw.
By the way, doing what Bob did was truly amazing. He can "shoot" and he can edit — and can do so in the worst environment. He can obviously do it pulling 5 G's and in a workspace of inches. And, if you saw the piece, you know how truly creative he is. Frankly, in the years I have worked on TV, I have seen no better... he is the best there is.
Greta
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